Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

ASLEF’S conference in Nottingham has accepted that flexible measures have to be adopted to deal with the downturn of rail freight.

COMMUNITY has urged the steel company Corus to enforce its contract with a consortium which announced last week that it was walking away from a 10-year deal with the firm – throwing 2,000 people out of work.

Labour chiefs are to face calls to allow party members to punish MPs caught in the parliamentary expenses scandal.

A EUROPEAN employment “summit” – flagged up in advance as an opportunity to agree on joint action to counter the social and economic impact of the downturn across Europe – ended last week in disappointment and recriminations.

UNIONS have given a mixed reaction this week to the Government’s announcement that it will bring in rules to implement equal treatment for temporary agency workers after 12 weeks’ work.

CAMPAIGNERS are lobbying the European Commission to examine Colombia’s human rights record as it negotiates another free trade agreement with the country.

TEN years after the introduction of the national minimum wage, MPs will today (Friday) hear the second reading of the Employment Opportunities Bill.

COMPANIES which bought into a database of blacklisted trade union members may yet be prosecuted, the Information Commissioner’s Office has confirmed.

YOUNG trade union members in the north west paraded the size of the pay offer to council workers this week in advance of another round of negotiations.